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St Peter Chanel
April 28
Peter Chanel was born in 1804 near Cras in France. His parents were peasants. His parish priest, the Abbe Trompier, took him on as a pupil because he was so bright and very devout. Peter went to the local seminary, was ordained, and rebuilt the very run-down parish of Croizet in three years. He then joined the Marist missionaries which had been recently founded by Jean Colin at Lyon. He dreamt of being sent abroad but instead worked for five years at the seminary of Belley.
Finally in 1836 he was sent to the South Pacific Islands. Together with a laybrother and an English laymen, Thomas Boog, they settled on Futuna, near Fiji. Cannibalism had only recently been banned on the island by the ruler Niuliki.
At first they were warmly welcomed, but after Peter had worked with the sick and learnt some of the local language, Niuliki became jealous. When his son asked to be baptised with some others, he became was so angry he sent a group of warriors to kill Peter, while his companions were away. They clubbed him to death and cut up his body with knives and axes.
In spite of this, many of the islanders remained faithful to the teaching they had received from Peter Chanel. One said: “He loves us. He does what he teaches. He forgives his enemies. His teaching is good.”
Just a year later the whole island became Christian. Peter Chanel was canonised in 1954 by Pope Pius XII.
